For more information about Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Services, contact the Tom Green County Extension Office at 325-659-6522.

Well owners can have water samples analyzed by SKG Engineering at 706 S. Abe St. Call SKG Engineering at 325-655-1288 for more information.

Trena Kiser and her husband live on water from the well at their North San Angelo home.

The 71-year-old resident spent most of Wednesday with almost 100 other local well owners at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension water-well owner training.

“As a private well owner, try to get that mindset that you’re the operator of your own water-well system,” said Drew Gholson, program specialist and network coordinator for the AgriLife Extension Service, College Station. “You’re responsible for the drilling, maintenance, regulating and testing.”

The six-hour training covered a range of relevant topics from the basics of Texas aquifers and private well regulations to on-site sewage facilities and water treatment options for well owners.

Many well owners also brought water samples at the start of the training to be screened for nitrates, total dissolved solids and bacteria by local business SKG Engineering.

Ryan Gerlich, extension program specialist, listed some chemicals or items that could disrupt the septic system if they went down the toilet, such as wet wipes, prescription drugs and certain cleaning products. For patients who have undergone chemotherapy, Gerlich said, their waste could disrupt the biology in the tank, but there isn’t much they can do except increase maintenance on the system.

“I had no idea. It never occurred to me,” Kiser said. Her sister had recently completed chemotherapy treatment and owns a well on her property near Christoval.

Peggy Steger, a 73-year-old well owner in Irion County, found the resources on how to protect private wells useful.

“We all need to protect our waters,” Steger said, particularly in communities like Irion County that have been hit with a significant influx of oil and gas activity recently.

Gerlich detailed the various types of septic system options, from aerobic treatment to using an evapotranspiration bed. The evapotranspiration process releases the wastewater into the bed, Gerlich said, and relies on vegetation and evaporation above to pull the water up into the drain field soil. This method would work well in West Texas, he said, because of the high evaporation rates.

Diane Boellstorff, assistant professor and water resource extension specialist, also presented information on treating well water, such as ultraviolet systems, reverse osmosis and carbon filter systems.

“Test your well water on an annual basis for E.coli (bacteria) if you’re drinking it,” Boellstorff said. “Keep in mind what you’re using the water for.”

Throughout the training, experts repeatedly reminded well owners to test their water annually and to do regular maintenance on well and septic systems to ensure the water they are using is safe for consumption.

Owners should have their wells inspected by a licensed well driller every 5 to 10 years, Gholson said.

Ensuring well information is registered and up-to-date with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation can also help the state protect existing wells from future landowners or businesses who may want to drill new wells nearby.

“A household well is exempt from testing, which can be a good thing, but it’s the responsibility of the owner,” Gholson said. “Hopefully we can get our water tested within national standards so we know that we’re drinking safe water.”

Local farmer Glyn Jameson, 66, found the training beneficial.

“I’m enjoying it very much,” he said. “I learned a lot more about septic tanks. I thought I knew about it.”

Some farmers often put yeast in the system, thinking it would clean the system better, but Gerlich said that was not the case.

“Stay regular and you’re putting everything down there you could ever need,” he said with a laugh.

The agents also distributed packets with extensive information and other helpful resources for local water-well owners.

“We have to learn everything we can about our situation out here in West Texas,” Jameson said. “Everybody needs to work together, so we can preserve everything we can.”